McKinsey doesn't sell？
很多像麦肯锡一样的咨询公司，不会主动去打cold call问clients需不需要帮忙解决问题 --- not because McKinsey sells, but because McKinsey markets.
要如何保证，遇到business problems的时候，客户们第一个想到的是McKinsey？
1. Show your professional insights.
Produce a steady stream of books and articles, publish scholarly journal (The McKinsey Quarterly), and send gratis to the clients/former consultants and potential clients.
2. Maintain network of informal contacts with potential clients.
公司鼓励partners参加各类非正式的社交活动，比如慈善会、音乐会、行业报告分享会等等。这些场合不仅可以用来维护社交关系，也可以维持“share of mind” --- 及时了解最新的clients’ problems&concerns。
3. 这些活动不是传统意义上的sells，却能保证正确的人知道麦肯锡的价值（communicate with the right person）。
Make sure he knows you, which adds up to making sure your name is the one your customers think of when they have a need you can fill.
DCS - Director of client services: structure your engagement in order to deliver the maximum results in the minimum time.
作为DSC要衡量客人的期望和有限的团队资源，当客人对结果/服务满意时，往往会带来新的生意机会。
麦肯锡团队通常由5-6个组成，团队的组合需要“精挑细选” choose wisely。
1. find the smartest people regardless of their experience or personal hygiene.
2. what real matters is specific experience and skills.
As a team leader, you should make effort to promote team bonding; just make sure it doesn't become a chore.
- how about having dinners together?
- respect your teammates' time
Maintain team morale:
1. Take your team's temperature. 了解团队成员的心情，他们的开心状况，他们是否有困惑。
2. Steer a steady course. 如果你一直改变自己的idea，你的组员会confuse；如果你需要改变自己的idea， let your team know, explain why, and let people contribute to it, or at least see, your thought process.
3. Let your teammates know why they are doing what they're doing. 让他们相信，你做的事情是有价值的！
4. Treat your teammates with respect. 尊重不只是礼貌层面的，更多是---不要要求别人去做你自己都不会/不愿意去做的事儿。
5. Get to know your teammates as people. 人人都有除工作之外的生活和空间。As a successful consultant, you should also assert yourself.
6. When the going gets tough, take the Bill Clinton approach. 当所处环境很艰难，问题棘手，客户还很“机车”的时候，Follow the rules of maintaining your morale --- 只能去接受它，告诉团队成员们“i feel your pain”。
Making your boss looks good, your boss will make you look good.
首先，你要全力以赴做好你的工作，support你的boss；其次，making sure your boss knows everything you know when she needs to know it 及时准确的和你的boss沟通，汇报的信息是经过你的预先思考和筛选的，otherwise it will overload him/her with information.
这时候我又想到之前自己实习的情形：单纯把数据整合起来并不能make my boss looks good，因为我没有足够的去思考和整理它；in other words，这并不是我manager想要的，也不能高效且直接的support到他的工作。
在今后的工作中，要有更多的ownership主人翁精神。
思考manager给出这个任务背后的意义在哪？要解决的问题是什么？我是不是已经做到最好？
Doing Research - work smarter, not harder.
Whatever the problem, chances are that someone, somewhere, has worked on something similar.
作者分享了当他在处理一个case 的时候，他先去PDNet database上找资料，搜索到了类似的project，也获得了expert的信息，so just called with follow-up questions。这样，也能节省更多时间给接下来的工作。
Don't reinvent the wheel. 你的时间和精力都是有限的，要选择更有效的工作方法。对于咨询来说，接到一个case后可以通过trade magazine，新闻，资料库和其他secondary data来快速了解相关讯息。
More specifically：
1. Start with the annual report；
2. Look for ourtliers --- things that extremely good or bad, then figure out the reasons behind those outlier numbers;
3. Look for the best Practice. 找到最佳performer，模仿他们的做法。如果找不到，也可以interview你的professor和行业内的朋友们。
Interview Tips
1. Prepared an interview guide, McKinsey usually starts with general questions (warm up) and moves on to specific ones.
2. When conducing interviews, listen and guide. Always let people know you are listening. [interaction, eye contact, reflection, explanation];
3. Let the interviewee know the value and importance of this interview;
4. Use tech to help you record, or interview in pairs;
5. Listen, don't led；ask open-ended questions and avoid use positive or leading words;
6. Explanation and interaction are quite important, give the interviewees opportunities to add informations. [Paraphrase !!!]
7. Don't ask for too much. Make your question clear and understandable.
8. the Columbo tactic.如果访问结束后，你意识到还有一两个特别的问题，勇敢的提问，而不是等到下次/过几天再nock their office door。interview后人们往往会挺放松，你可以试着问：“excuse me, but there're something i forget to ask.”
9. Make your interviewees feel good, don't make them naked. Do it wisely without forcing or threatening them.
10. Also write a thank-you note. At the begin of the interview and the end of the interview.
"Dear ---, thank you for the ---, i will always cherish it. 😊"
Brainstorming Tips:
1. Prepare your "fact pack", know what are the problems and bring your hypothesis.
2. There is no bad or dumb answer.
3. Be prepared to change your thoughts.
4. Write it down on paper (sticky notes, flip chart)
